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A Storybook Tale: Dunderwoodruff

Started by slink, August 01, 2014, 05:06:13 PM

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slink

#15
Year 12
Written by Gradyn, Eldest

We've built a trading post across the Snake River, on Mouse Lake.  We've also built Government House, across the wide dirt road from the cemetery.  Hopefully a busy commercial area will grow up on the south shore of Snake River, although it will never rival the cities on Earth.  Thank goodness.

Ten children were born this year, three people died of old age, and one young man was killed by a falling tree.  It's getting harder and harder for me to see the letters I am writing, and my old fingers are clumsy.  I think it will not be long before I am buried beside my friends.

Births:

Early Spring: Agusta
Spring: Phillice, Arsen
Late Spring: Zeliah
Early Summer: Kylar
Summer: Mernardine
Late Summer: Evalinett, Hillie
Late Winter: Harlo, Nata

Deaths:

Late Summer: Treen of old age
Autumn: Penell of old age, Trentony of old age
Early Winter: Hugh killed by a falling tree

rkelly17

Wonderful story, @slink. And just when I think I have your farming design figured out you come up with something new. Please, tell us about those farms!

And, really, is it not possible that self-control is over-rated?


slink

Quote from: rkelly17 on August 08, 2014, 05:36:21 PM
Wonderful story, @slink. And just when I think I have your farming design figured out you come up with something new. Please, tell us about those farms!

And, really, is it not possible that self-control is over-rated?

The new farm design has one house per 9x9 plot, and one barn per six farms.  There will always be enough farmers for the farms, even if the houses only have one person each.  When the houses are filled completely (5 people), there will be almost one more person's worth of food produced than is consumed by the houses (588 of whatever).  The failing is in the barns.  One barn isn't enough for six farms when the food isn't all being eaten, but then again you can turn off the farms.

Self-control should be taken in moderation.  There is no question about that.  There should be some self-control, however.  I really didn't need to drink three beers a day until both cases were gone.  :P  It's just that I'd been without beer for three years, except for once each year when I had two at a restaurant.  Hopefully I can keep some in the house now without pigging out on it.   ;D

slink

Year 13
Written by Odeliana, Eldest

This past year has been both wonderful and sad.  Gradyn, our Eldest and Leader since we arrived here from Earth, died in early autumn.  The first trading boat stopped in winter.  By that much Gradyn missed seeing the colony blooming with the arrival of boatloads of cut stone.  Our first purchase was stone, but cattle are on the list, and so are supplies of every seed and start that we can buy.

Births:

Early Spring: Anastacy
Late Spring: Defores,  Krystene
Summer: Ette, Shalondra
Late Summer: Newel

Deaths:

Late Spring: Giannie of old age
Early Summer: Bentoney of old age
Late Summer: Keshancy of old age
Early Autumn: Gradyn of old age
Autumn: Eugenery of old age

slink

#19
Year 14
Written by Odeliana, Eldest

We planted our first peach orchards this year.  The three groves of tiny trees were planted in the winter and came up beautifully the following spring.  Otherwise there was not much progress, but more fruit will be coming in three years.

Births:

Late Spring: Lataniel, Owen, Josetter, Diamona, Carrold
Early Summer: Beth,
Summer: Pierren
Autumn: Muhammed

Deaths:

Early Summer:  Mackenzil of old age
Summer: Ezekiah of old age,  Fernard of old age
Late Winter: Arthenie of old age

slink

Year 15
Written by Odeliana, Eldest

This year we scoured the northern woods for stone to cut.  It is my desire to build a tunnel under the hills that separate the center of our colony from the northern farm lands, and to build our first church.  I feel the need for comfort, with the loss of so many of my friends and even some of our children.  Life passes so quickly.

Births:

Early Spring: Adalyson
Late Spring: Jevonte
Early Summer: Yesse
Summer: Kell, Zayde
Late Summer: Ashawana, Lizabela
Early Autumn:  Danning
Autumn: Hestefani

Deaths:

Early Summer: Haydence of old age
Summer: Naniela of old age
Early Autumn: Serenae of old age,
Winter: Milbur of old age, Shel of old age

slink

Year 16
Written by Michelena, Eldest

It feels so strange to be called Eldest.  True, I am the eldest of the children that were born on this planet.  But, the ones who came here from Earth were the Elders.  Not me.  I hope the trust the colony has placed in me is well-deserved.

Births:

Early Spring: Zecharlan, Lillen
Early Summer: Leontie
Summer: Andell, Hubertus
Early Autumn: Vannamae
Autumn: Doren
Early Winter:  Elisetta, Ellison
Winter: Darrod
Late Winter: Aman, Darylyn

Deaths:

Early Spring: Kamilan of old age
Spring: Mika of old age
Late Spring: Odeliana of old age
Early Winter: Nest of old age

slink

Year 17
Written by Michelena, Eldest

Year 17
Written by Michelena, Eldest

A horrible thing happened this past year.  A group of escaped banished ones came out of the mountains and down to our Government House.  Their skins were burned almost black from the ultraviolet rays let through by the thin air on the mountain tops.  They wore nothing but rags, and their speech was illiterate.  They eyed our tools with envy.  They had lice and scabies, and some seemed seriously ill.  We all hid inside our homes.  Someone threw dried fish at them out a window, which they gathered to themselves with rapid, furtive movements.  Eventually they left through the mountains, never to be seen again, all except one child who fell into the river and clung to a log being carried downstream.  When the log reached the edge of the valley, the child disappeared in a flash of light and with a clap of thunder.  A small cloud of greasy, black smoke drifted away.  The log continued onward without harm.  The whole nasty event was a reminder that we live on a prison planet, no matter that we came here voluntarily and were allowed the site of our own choosing.  We won't be leaving, except over the mountains and carrying nothing.  I'd rather die first.

Births:

Early Spring: Graycee
Spring: Helm, Ofeliss
Late Spring: Glindsey
Early Autumn: Izabell
Late Autumn: Karole
Early Winter: Liss
Winter: Wavern
Late Winter: Shedric

Deaths:

Late Summer: Haronda in childbirth

slink

Year 18
Written by Cameric, Eldest

Mechelena got her wish.  She's dead.  She forgot to mention the new orchards we planted last year, and all the foundations of houses that we laid with stone bought dearly with our stored excess food.  I can't blame her.  Those nomads were a terrible reminder of the trap in which we now find ourselves.  If we can't build houses quickly enough, there will be no leaving the valley for the extra people.  And what happens when we fill the valley?  Did our ancestors think of this before they left Earth?

Births:

Spring: Parke
Early Summer: Reggory
Summer: Garvis, Victoriana
Late Summer: Corlissouri
Early Autumn: Caronda, Merly
Autumn: Egbertus
Late Autumn: Shalondon, Alivian
Early Winter: Zecharia
Winter:  Athenia
Late Winter: Alph, Vassidy

Deaths:

Late Spring: Lark of old age
Winter: Millis of old age, Michelena of old age

slink

Year 18
Final entry, by Damarcus and Annaliah

Cameric died and we are supposed to take over this chronicle.  People are born.  People die.  We don't need to record all the details.  The machinery in Government House keeps the statistics, no doubt for our jailers to sample as they orbit the planet.  What's for us to add?  Better that everyone here forgets the fabled Earth, which none of us has ever seen.  We are hiding this chronicle behind the automated records-keeping machinery in Government House, and getting on with our lives.

rkelly17

Dark ending! And a challenge to me not to let the story just peter out when I get tired of recording everything that happens.

Quote from: slink on August 08, 2014, 08:12:47 PM
Self-control should be taken in moderation.  There is no question about that.  There should be some self-control, however.  I really didn't need to drink three beers a day until both cases were gone.  :P  It's just that I'd been without beer for three years, except for once each year when I had two at a restaurant.  Hopefully I can keep some in the house now without pigging out on it.   ;D

I've had the same issue ever since I discovered that I had type 2 diabetes--over-doing beer is definitely out. My solution is to buy only very good beer (from local and regional micro breweries or imported) in small amounts and work through it slowly--with some help from friends. Rationing is much easier when the beer is expensive and good. My sister got me a set of glasses from a Belgian Trappist brewery. Using those adds to the effect.


slink

Quote from: rkelly17 on August 09, 2014, 07:07:02 AM
Dark ending! And a challenge to me not to let the story just peter out when I get tired of recording everything that happens.

Quote from: slink on August 08, 2014, 08:12:47 PM
Self-control should be taken in moderation.  There is no question about that.  There should be some self-control, however.  I really didn't need to drink three beers a day until both cases were gone.  :P  It's just that I'd been without beer for three years, except for once each year when I had two at a restaurant.  Hopefully I can keep some in the house now without pigging out on it.   ;D

I've had the same issue ever since I discovered that I had type 2 diabetes--over-doing beer is definitely out. My solution is to buy only very good beer (from local and regional micro breweries or imported) in small amounts and work through it slowly--with some help from friends. Rationing is much easier when the beer is expensive and good. My sister got me a set of glasses from a Belgian Trappist brewery. Using those adds to the effect.

I'm with you on the expensive and good part.  The first of the two cases was mixed light and dark of a commercial Mexican beer which was just okay.  That was a mistake.  I would prefer Pilsner Urquil (sp?) but I can't find it here so I am trying out various of the available, more bitter, brews.  I can't remember, is Guinness stout bitter?  I loved living near Pittsburgh where I could buy all kinds of imported beers by the case, but that's where I put on much of the weight I just finished losing.  Twenty years of dragging that weight around was too long.

The story isn't quite over yet.  *wicked grin*

slink

#27
Visitation

The huge ship orbiting Banished, as the local tribes often called it, was reviewing that data from Dunderwoodruff's Town Hall.  The chatter from the bridge crew was enlightening. 

"They show no signs of failing."

"They've got no hospitals.  Drop some typhus.  That'll do them."

"Yeah, after 250 years of tax-free living, their time is up.  We need that valley."

There was quiet chortling, and a small torpedo containing the bacillus Rickettsia prowazekii, bundled in the droppings of human lice, was launched into the valley named Dunderwoodruff.  It detonated over the center of the colony, and the germs that cause typhus filled the air.

"We'll check back in a few years."

The ship departed orbit, taking with it the reported data and a few photos.

slink

#28
Aftermath

Dunderwoodruff survived the scourge of typhus which came from the sky, by working hard to build hospitals and by following sane rules for contagious diseases.  There was a witness to the seeding, however, and he reported what he had seen to the Council of Elders.  After two years of successfully battling the disease dropped by Earth, the Council met in Government House.

"Does anyone know how to shut off the signal that is broadcasting from this building?"

"I don't.  Let's look for the documentation."

After much searching of the building, someone found the Chronicles.

"Hey, look at this!"

Rapid perusal gave way to thoughtful reading, after which the Council members exchanged significant looks.

"This must be told to everyone."

A public meeting that included all 600+ occupants of Dunderwoodruff heard this address:

"We were not banished.  We paid to come here.  We paid all that we owned, and we forfeited our future on Earth for the right to colonize this valley.  We were duped, and not only that, but two years ago someone out there tried to murder us."

There was silence, and then 600+ faces turned to the sky. 

1200+ hands caressed their tools. 

600+ minds thought "We are coming for you ..."

THE END

RedKetchup

awesome story :) you should start writing books and scripts to make movies :)
but all along it reminds me that in Nov2014 : Civilizations: Beyond Earth will be released and launched :)

Good job, i liked it :)
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